US 11,531,141 B2Granted

Low contrast anti-reflection articles with reduced scratch and fingerprint visibility

AssigneeCorning Incorporated

InventorsShandon Dee Hart, Karl William Koch, III, Charles Andrew Paulson

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Abstract

Embodiments of articles including a low-contrast anti-reflection coating are disclosed. The coated surface of such articles exhibits a reduced difference in reflectance between a pristine state and when a surface defect is present. In one or more embodiments, the coated surface of such articles exhibits a first average reflectance in the range from about 0.6% to about 6.0% in a pristine condition and a second average reflectance of about 8% or less after removal of a surface thickness of the anti-reflection coating. In other embodiments, the coated substrate exhibits a second average reflectance of about 10% or less, when the coated surface comprises a contaminant. In some embodiments, the coated substrate exhibits a first color coordinate (a*1, b*1) in a pristine condition and a second color coordinate (a*2, b*2) after the presence of a surface defect such that Δa*b* is about 6 or less.

Claims19

Dependent claims

An article, comprising:

a substrate having a substrate surface;
and
an anti-reflection coating disposed on the substrate surface forming a coated surface,
wherein the anti-reflection coating comprises a plurality of sub-layer sets, each sub-layer set comprising a first low RI sub-layer and a second high RI sub-layer,
wherein the first low RI sub-layer comprises SiO2, Al2O3, GeO2, SiO, AlOxNy, SiOxNy, SiuAlvOxNy, MgO, MgF2, BaF2, CaF2, DyF3, YbF3, YF3, and CeF3, or combinations thereof,
wherein the second high RI sub-layer comprises SiuAlvOxNy, AlN, AlOxNy, SiOxNy, HfO2, Y2O3, MoO3, or combinations thereof,
wherein a total thickness of the second high RI sub-layers in the anti-reflection coating is about 50 nm or greater,
wherein the coated surface exhibits a first average reflectance when the coated surface is in a pristine condition, and a second average reflectance after removal of a surface thickness of about 20 nm to about 500 nm of the anti-reflection coating from the coated surface that provides a contrast ratio (the second average reflectance:
the first average reflectance) in the range from about 0.5 to about 5 0, over the visible spectrum, wherein the anti-reflection coating has a thickness that is greater than the surface thickness and wherein the reflectance is measured under a CIE illuminant,
wherein the anti-reflection coating further comprises a first anti-reflection coating and a second anti-reflection coating, wherein the first anti-reflection coating is disposed on the substrate surface and comprises a scratch-resistant coating, the scratch-resistant coating comprising SiuAlvOxNy, Ta2O5, Nb2O5, AlN, Si3N4, AlOxNy, SiOxNy, HfO2, TiO2, ZrO2, Y2O3, Al2O3, MoO3, or combinations thereof, and further wherein the second anti-reflection coating is disposed on the first anti-reflection coating, and
further wherein the scratch-resistant coating further comprises a hardness of about 5 GPa or greater and a thickness from about 100 nm to about 10000 nm.

8 more elements

An article, comprising:

a substrate having a substrate surface;
and
an anti-reflection coating disposed on the substrate surface forming a coated surface,
wherein the anti-reflection coating comprises a first low RI sub-layer, a second high RI sub-layer, and a scratch-resistant coating,
wherein the first low RI sub-layer comprises an oxide, an oxynitride, a fluoride, or combinations thereof,
wherein the second high RI sub-layer comprises an oxide, an oxynitride, a nitride, or combinations thereof,
wherein the anti-reflection coating further comprises a first anti-reflection coating and a second anti-reflection coating, wherein the first anti-reflection coating is disposed on the substrate surface and comprises the scratch-resistant coating,
wherein the second anti-reflection coating is disposed on the first anti-reflection coating,
wherein the scratch-resistant coating comprises SiuAlvOxNy, Si3N4, AlOxNySiOxNy, or combinations thereof,
wherein the scratch-resistant coating further comprises a hardness of about 5 GPa or greater and a thickness from about 100 nm to about 10000 nm, and
further wherein the coated surface exhibits a first average reflectance when the coated surface is in a pristine condition, and a second average reflectance after removal of a surface thickness of about 20 nm to about 500 nm of the anti-reflection coating from the coated surface that provides a contrast ratio (the second average reflectance:
the first average reflectance) in the range from about 0.5 to about 50, over the visible spectrum, wherein the anti-reflection coating has a thickness that is greater than the surface thickness and wherein the reflectance is measured under a CIE illuminant.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/821,121Filed 17 Mar 2020 · continuation
Priority: 23 May 2014
Published: US 2020/0217990 A19 Jul 2020
Granted: 20 Dec 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G02B 1/11
Optical coatings produced by application to, or surface treatment of, optical elements: anti-reflection coatings
C03C 17/3417
With at least two coatings of inorganic materials: all coatings being oxide coatings
C03C 17/3435
At least one of the coatings being a non-oxide coating: comprising a nitride, oxynitride, boronitride or carbonitride
G02B 1/115
Using inorganic layer materials only: multilayers

Family

Application62/002,466Us provisional application · filed 23 May 2014
PCT/US2015/032138Parent of this continuation · filed 22 May 2015
US 2020/0217990 A1Pre-grant publication · published 9 Jul 2020
Application15/313,733Parent of this continuation
US 10,620,344 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2017/0199307 A1Published application
US 11,531,141 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.